


Investigation

by sarahsharpe1231



Category: Superman & Lois (TV 2021)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-26 20:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30111408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahsharpe1231/pseuds/sarahsharpe1231
Summary: He was truly his mother's son. Curiosity ran in his blood. It's how he and Jon found out about their dad. And it's why he couldn't sleep when their grandpa mentioned a "yellow phosphorescence" that had apparently given their teammate superpowers. Jordan needed to know more. Ignoring this wasn't an option.(Post-1x04)
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Comments: 21
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No big explanation or random references! Just an idea that NEEDED to get onto paper IMMEDIATELY. Well...here it is! My very first S&L multi-chapter fic! (Know that I have NO idea where I'm going with this at the current moment...heh. Just hoping I'm able to turn this into a full-length story before 1x05 airs!)
> 
> Enjoy!!! Let me know your thoughts!!!

“Jon,” Jordan whispered in his brother’s ear as he shook his shoulder. “Jon, wake up! Jon…hey!”

It wasn’t working. Jordan took a pillow that had fallen onto the floor and smacked Jon’s butt with it…with maybe a little _too_ much force.

“Ow!” Jon yelled, lifting his head off his pillow. “What the—?”

He turned around and grabbed his phone off the nightstand to use as a source of light. He shined it up at his attacker and found Jordan standing over his bed, fully dressed and with a backpack strapped over his shoulder.

“Dude, what the hell?” Jon asked. “It’s…”

He turned his phone screen toward his face to see the time.

“2am,” he groaned. “Are you for real? Why—”

“You’re coming with me,” Jordan said assertively.

“I’m… _what_?” Jon asked, blinking to adjust his eyes. “Where…where are you going?”

“Shuster Mines,” Jordan answered. “I need to know what Grandpa was talking about.”  
  
That got Jon’s attention. He immediately sat up.

“Jordan, don’t,” he said. “Have you been paying attention to _anything_ Mom’s been working on? Morgan Edge—aka the guy who _fired Dad_ —owns that place now. He probably has a shit-ton of security patrolling it 24/7.”

“At the entrance, yeah,” Jordan countered, “but not on the east end where the party was.”

“You sure about that?” Jon asked.

“I’m sure that any nighttime security lackey, I can take care of myself,” Jordan said confidently.

Jon stared at him wide-eyed.

“I mean _knock them unconscious!_ ” Jordan assured his brother. “Geez, I’m not trying to melt people’s faces off or anything.”

“Why do you need me?” Jon asked.

“Backup,” Jordan answered.

Jonathan snorted. What could he possibly do that his brother couldn’t?  
  
“And another set of eyes,” Jordan continued. “And I know you’re just as curious as me. Tag was the closest friend you had here.”

A knot formed in Jon’s stomach. He didn’t want to admit that his brother was right. So he just changed the subject.

“How are you even gonna get there?” Jon asked.

“Lyft,” Jordan answered matter-of-factly.

“Jordan, this isn’t Metropolis,” Jon said. “You’re not gonna get a Lyft in the middle of the night.”

Jordan pulled his phone out from his pocket. There was a purple route on his screen.

“One’s already on the way,” Jordan said.

Jon closed his eyes and sighed. There was no talking Jordan out of this. Feeling incredibly responsible if anything were to happen to him (as he _always_ did…even before the superpowers), Jon pulled his comforter down and got out of bed. He pulled some sweatpants out of a drawer and a jacket out of his closet and threw them on.

“If Mom or Dad find _ever_ find out about this,” Jon said as he tied up his sneakers, “I will not hesitate to throw you under the bus.”

“Fair,” Jordan said, clearly just thankful Jonathan was coming at all.

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. He looked down at the screen.

“Ride’s here,” he said. “You ready?”

Jon walked over to his bed and unplugged his phone from the charger.

“No,” he responded, “but like I said last month, someone’s gotta watch out for your super-ass.”

Jordan smiled.

“Let’s go,” he said and made his way out of Jon’s bedroom.

His brother followed and, with a deep breath, closed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys arrive at the mine and encounter their first obstacle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To use an obligatory Teen Wolf reference...I LOVE the idea of Jon being Jordan's anchor! Or at the VERY LEAST the fandom-wide theory that Jon's an energy source for Jordan and he can't use his powers without him nearby (and vice-versa for future fics). Expect that to be a theme in almost EVERY fic I write for these two moving forward until the show proves me wrong!

The car ride was quiet. Anything they wanted to talk about, they couldn’t let the driver hear. When they got close to the mine, Jordan instructed him where to go. They pulled up to the familiar lot where that fateful explosion went down, thanked the driver and got out of the car. The Lyft pulled away, leaving the boys on their own.

Jordan pulled two flashlights out of his backpack and handed one to his brother. They both turned them on. Jonathan did a quick scope of the place to make sure no one was watching them. He didn’t see any human beings but _did_ see a silver pole on the far end of the lot. He tilted his flashlight up and caught sight of an unwelcome camera. It had only been a day since Edge acquired the mine and he had already started securing the premises. Thankfully, there weren't that many measures up yet…and the camera was facing the opposite direction from them—for now. Jonathan didn’t want to take any chances.

“Camera,” Jon told his brother, “two o’clock.”

Jordan locked his flashlight on the bottom of the pole and tilted it up to see the damning device.

“You think you can…?” Jon continued, using his free hand to point V-sign fingers at his eyes and the camera.

“I’ve never done it on command before,” Jordan said.

“First time for everything,” Jon offered.

Jordan raised his eyebrows, breathed a shuddered breath and looked back up at the camera. He tried to will _anything_ to happen…but nothing did. Jon saw his brother was clearly struggling.

“Okay, picture me,” he piped up, “right there.”

He pointed at a spot on the ground several yards away…where the bonfire had been.

“Getting the _shit_ kicked out of me,” he continued. “On the _brink of death_. Your pulse is rising. You’re on the ground. You can’t do anything except—”  
  
Jon shut up when a bright red beam illuminated the sky. He pointed his flashlight back up to the top of the pole…only to find a melted blob of plastic and wires.

“Nicely done,” Jon said, smiling at his brother.

Jordan looked at Jon but his face wasn’t as happy. His lips were trembling. Jon just patted his brother on the back and gave it a small rub—realizing it was best to drop the topic. Jordan was obviously uncomfortable with what he’d just done.

They both moved forward into the lot, scanning the ground with their flashlights. Grandpa Sam hadn’t been too specific about what (or where) this “phosphorescence” was. However, phosphorescence—as opposed to any other type of luminescence—glowed in the dark. If they were going to have any chance of finding it, it was gonna be at night.

About five minutes into their search, the boys saw bright lights heading toward them and heard the sound of a car.

“Shit,” Jordan said, running over to his brother.

He grabbed him by the arm and ran both of them behind the nearest rock mound. Regardless of what he told Jon earlier, he was not prepared for head-to-head confrontation (or hand-to-hand…or hand-to-head). But he did keep a watchful eye on the security guards as they stopped the car, got out and inspected the damage done to the camera.

Jon just closed his eyes and did his best to steady his breathing. It was one of those rare moments he had in the past month where he wished their dad had spilled the beans earlier. He could’ve put them through stealth training or something. (Then again, when was Superman ever known for being stealthy? That was more that Gotham guy’s territory.) He just prayed they wouldn’t be caught. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to recklessly laser expensive surveillance equipment. He leaned his forehead on the rock in front of him and trusted Jordan to keep them hidden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shouldn't be so proud of that Batman reference...but I am VERY proud of that Batman reference.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly do love how easy it feels to write for these boys. Truly a testament to both the writing and Alex and Jordan's performances that I feel like I know them so well. This chapter, for example, (as you'll see) pulls a lot of inspo from 1x03. It's definitely a fun dynamic to explore and a complete subversion of how you think their personalities would be and I absolutely love it!
> 
> Heads up: Doing a LOT of scientific research BTS that I did NOT expect to be doing going into this fic but it's actually kind of fascinating. No geologist and CERTAINLY no physicist (your girl majored in MediaCom and Theatre) but it's definitely bringing me back to this one Teen Wolf fic I wrote several years where I spent HOURS researching Egyptian mythology!

_“What the hell…?”  
  
“How…does that even happen?”_

_“Must’ve been a…rogue lightning strike or something. Rare…but not entirely unheard of.”_

_“Or maybe the mine got christened by the Man of Steel himself. Collateral damage. Mid-air fight.”_

_“I mean, you don’t see anyone with anything powerful enough to do_ that _walking around here, do you?”_

_“Hey! Tax deduction.”  
_

_“I’ll say.”  
  
“Alright, I’ll call it in…but we probably can’t get anyone out here ’til morning.”_

_“Eh! Sure it’s fine. This place survived for decades without big money being poured into it. Edge can take it up with Superman.”_

The men laughed and got back into their car. As they drove away, the boys simultaneously exhaled.

“That was close,” Jordan said, getting up off his knees and dusting off his jeans with his hands.

“ _Close_?” Jon asked, standing up, as well. “Dude, did you hear them? Dad’s gonna find out and he’s gonna kill us!”  
  
“Hey, lasering the thing was your idea, genius!” Jordan yelled. “Plus, you heard what they said! Could’ve been lightning! We never have to admit it was us.”

“You’ve gotten a little too comfortable with this whole lying thing, haven’t you?” Jon asked.

“Dude, our dad’s Superman,” Jordan countered, walking back toward the center of the lot. “It’s our job to lie.”

“Not to _him_ , you idiot,” Jon said, following his brother.

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed Jordan crouching down a few feet in front of him, eyes locked on the bottom of the mine wall.

“Jordan?” Jon asked.

“Dude, are you seeing this?” Jordan responded, obviously entranced by _something_.

“Seeing _what_?” Jon wondered.

Jordan turned his head back toward his brother. He had a smile on his face.

“Our yellow phosphorescence,” he replied.

Jordan got up and ran closer to the mine. He picked up a boulder about twice the size of his head and threw it down on the ground with so much force that Jonathan immediately felt queasy at the idea of getting back on the field with him. He ran toward Jordan’s side to see what he had gotten so excited by. The rock had split apart. However, it wasn’t just any rock. It was a geode—the inside lined with…sure enough…yellow crystals

“Man, you saw that?” Jon asked.

“You _didn’t_?” Jordan replied.

The silence that followed was deafening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tough conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed my first venture into S&L multi-chapter land! Been VERY busy this past week but DESPERATELY wanted to finish this before tonight's episode. SO not looking forward to this month and a half-long hiatus but hoping I'll be inspired enough to continue ficcing during that time. (If not, look out for some potential Flash fics because there's a lot of scenes that I've been WANTING to see happen this season that sadly AREN'T happening......)
> 
> As for this chapter, all I have to say (until the End Notes) is that eventually, EVERY FIC becomes character exploration. It's truly unavoidable and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I LOVED writing this conversation and it actually reminded me a LOT of the fics I used to write during S2 for Cisco! (If you read any of those, you'll know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.)
> 
> Hope you guys like the "epic" (read: very NOT epic) conclusion!

“Wait, so if it was _in_ the rock,” Jonathan said, “how’d the DOD see that from a phone camera?”

“The heat from the explosion must’ve melted part of it down,” Jordan figured. “I don’t know. It’s had a month to cool. Reform?

“And we think this is what gave Tag powers?” Jon asked.

“According to Grandpa,” Jordan responded.

“And if you saw this,” Jon said, his voice getting higher, “then that means—”

“ _Don’t_ say it,” Jordan cut him off.

“I’m just saying,” Jonathan continued, “maybe the more you use your powers…the more others will start to appear. ”

“God, I hope not,” Jordan said, avoiding eye contact with his brother.

“Wait, what?” Jonathan asked, clearly confused. “Isn’t that what you wanted? To be more like Dad? I mean, when you went to the Fortress—”

“That was before,” Jordan corrected him.

“Before _what_?” Jon asked.

“Before football!” Jordan yelled. “Before Sarah broke up with Sean… Before I found out Grandpa has no problem sending kids away he deems _too_ powerful… The last thing I need is to start levitating in front of the whole school and ruin…all of that. Smallville’s the _one place_ I have _ever_ felt like I belonged. I don’t want to think about it being taken away from me.”

Jonathan took a moment to process what his brother had just said. And, for the second time that night, felt incredibly guilty for _ever_ being jealous of him.

“Dude, nothing’s gonna be _taken away_ from you,” he finally reassured him. “Mom and Dad would _never_ let that happen. You don’t have anything to worry about, okay?”  
  
“I wish it were that simple,” Jordan said.

“Hey,” Jon said, grabbing his brother’s arm, “is there something you’re not telling me?”  
  
Jordan looked down and breathed loudly. For weeks, he had been avoiding admitting this to himself. He reasoned if there was anyone it was safe to tell this to, it was gonna be his brother. He looked back at Jon.

“I told Dad that I could control my strength out on the field,” Jordan said. “And I can! For now…I don’t think that’ll be an issue, but…”  
  
“But what?” Jon pried.

“I don’t know,” Jordan answered. “Sometimes it feels like there’s… _something_ …lurking beneath the surface. Like I could… _explode_ …at any moment. Like what happened here. If that happens again, I don’t—”

“Hey!” Jon interrupted—refusing to let his brother think like that. “That is _not_ going to happen, okay? Listen, I _don’t_ know what you’re going through, alright? I don’t know that there’s anyone who does, but…I _do_ know that Mom and Dad and I…we’ve got your back. And if there’s _anything_ you need to talk about, we’re here for you. Look, I’m sorry I asked you to use your heat vision. I didn’t realize how scary that could be. But, dude, you don’t think _I’m_ scared, too? You’re getting these badass superpowers and, honestly, I wake up every morning terrified I’ve sprouted antennas during the night or some shit. _Both_ of our worlds have turned upside down. We aren’t who we thought we were and that’s weird and frightening and still gives me chills just thinking about. But you’re not going through this alone. I’ve actually been thinking a lot about…how lucky we are neither of us have to.”

“God, could you imagine?” Jordan responded, a small grin reappearing on his face.

“Right?” Jon laughed. “Feels like someone was looking out for us or something.”

“I mean, technically,” Jordan replied, “we were just two eggs that got—”

“Oh my god, moment officially ruined,” Jon interrupted, covering his eyes in a failed attempt to block the scarring mental image. “A guy tries to be sentimental…”

Jordan chuckled at his brother’s side. Existential dread officially past them, they turned their attention back to the object in front of them.

"So what do we do with this?” Jonathan asked. “Do we take it to Dad or Grandpa or—”

“We don’t take this anywhere,” Jordan immediately answered.

“What?” Jon yelled. “Why the hell not? Dude, if this is actually what affected Tag, it’s _really_ dangerous! We can’t just leave it here.”

“I promise you,” Jordan said, “leaving it here is the _least_ of our worries.”

“Why?” Jon asked—before realizing what his brother might be aware of that he’s not. “Is…is there more? Do you…do you _see_ more?”  
  
“You could say that,” Jordan replied.

His eyes had been fixed on the mine wall right in front of him but, as they slowly made their way up the huge mound of rock and dirt, his breathing became heavier. Jon figured whatever Jordan was seeing was clearly overwhelming and sufficiently terrifying. Whatever it was, it was bigger than just them. Or Tag. Or maybe even Superman.

Jon didn’t know what they should do next but he had to admit…the idea that there was something in this sleepy, little town that could trigger powers in someone was…not just alarming but…kind of intriguing. He knew he had been feeling jealous of Jordan and he was exceedingly aware of the dangers that came with everything that was happening to him but…feeling so left out like he was wasn’t ideal either. If that profound sense of exclusion ever became too unbearable…he didn’t know what he might be driven to do. Something about this felt…reassuring. The knot that formed in his stomach earlier that night grew increasingly tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE PUTTING RESPECT ON OLIVER QUEEN'S NAME IN THIS HOUSE!!!! Okay, actually, while Oliver (or Barry) might've given John and Lyla Sara back, I have NO idea who brought Jordan into the Kent fam's lives. But whoever it was, we're honoring them! Also, I've just been weirdly thinking a LOT this past week about what Jon's life might've been like before Crisis, so I thought this was the PERFECT opportunity to bring that idea up! (They say you always put a little bit of yourself in your characters but I LOVE how, even though I IN NO WAY own these boys, I'm still able to bring a little bit of myself to them.)
> 
> I also OF COURSE had to bring up the "special school" that Jordan seemed TERRIFIED by because there is NO WAY that isn't coming up again in the future. (HIGHLY recommend checking out Paige242's "Worry" for a MUCH more in-depth look at Jordan's thoughts about that.)
> 
> Finally, I've been seeing a LOT of X-Kryptonite theories this past week. A lot having to do with Lana (and Edge's creepy obsession with her) but also a LOT about Jon. It would be ANGSTY AF if Jon someone gets involved in all of this but REALLY GOOD ANGST! Excited to see what Todd has in store for the literal best sibling on television! 
> 
> Oh! And is that x-ray vision I gave Jordan? Or EM spectrum vision? The world may never know......


End file.
